Monday, July 17, 2017

Bernstein Suggests Country In 'Cold' Civil War

Carl Bernstein depicted the contentious nature of politics as being in the middle of a "cold civil war" as President Trump pushes back against what he calls "fake news" and various news outlets are perceived as espousing different "truths", according to The Washington Examiner.

Appearing on CNN's "Reliable Sources" on Sunday, alongside Leonard Downie, former executive editor and vice president of the Washington Post, Bernstein compared the current media climate to that of the Watergate era. He stressed the importance of anonymous sources and said "quote 'leaks' which really are not leaks" are instead "mostly reporters trying very hard to get truthful information and put some context to this story."

Trump has been subject to several damaging leaks during his presidency, which has been mired in several investigations looking into Russian interference in the 2016 election and possible collusion with his campaign, and is said to be cracking down on people in his administration leaking information to the press.

Bernstein, best known for his investigative reporting for the Washington Post that shed light on the Watergate scandal leading to President Richard Nixon's resignation in 1974, heavily relied on anonymous sources to follow the story.